AliBaba decides to take its IPO to the US. Is it taking on Amazon and Ebay? Not just yet.

In terms of global Ecommerce, this was a very interesting day. The Chinese wonder, Alibaba Group Holding, has decided to take its IPO to the States. The company, founded by ex-english teacher Jack Ma in 1999, is now on track to extend its influence outside China.

Jack Ma – founder of Alibaba.com

The company started as a way to connect Chinese manufacturers to the western buyers. It than evolved a B2C and C2C approach, an online payment solution (AliPay) and even an investment fund, Yu’e Bao.

The company’s growth has been mostly fueled by its B2B division, one very important gateway to China’s manufacturers, and its connection to Yahoo. The american company, although not in its best year, was lucky (wise?) to invest in AliBaba, when it was just starting. Although the group has been buying back Yahoo’s stocks, it is still largely (24%) owned by Yahoo.

Given AliBaba’s growth, Yahoo’s stocks have been bumped up. Some analysts suggest that 21$ out of Yahoo’s 37$ stock price come from AliBaba. The future looks great for both Yahoo’s stocks and AliBaba. In the IPO the Chinese company is expected to raise $15 billion, at a valuation north of $140 billion.

Is AliBaba ready to take on Amazon and Ebay?

The answer is … probably not. This might not be its target. As mentioned in an announcement on the corporate blog, AliBaba initially intended to be listed on the Hong Kong exchange. Its management structure, however, would not have the same influence in the case of a Hong Kong listing. Senior management, owners of 10% of the company are not willing to bend to Hong Kong’s rules and have thus decided to switch markets.

“We wish to thank those in Hong Kong who have supported Alibaba Group. We respect the viewpoints and policies of Hong Kong and will continue to pay close attention to and support the process of innovation and development of Hong Kong.” – Source

Even though the company says it wants a global approach and a more transparent communication to the market, its senior executives still want the full control.

AliBaba needs two things right now: cash and popularity. It needs cash to keep up with its historic growth, as China’s economic growth is slowing down. It is still based in China, its main assets are Chinese manufacturers and it is China where AliBaba controls 80% of ecommerce. But Jack Ma was wise enough to share its company’s growth with Yahoo, which was a bless in terms of global reach and brand awareness. The company now needs to go a little further. The global media has its eyes on the New York stock exchange and AliBaba needs to show it is more than just another Chinese company.

It doesn’t matter that the company is already listing a tenfold increase in B2B transactions or the fact that the Chinese ecommerce market will reach$655 billion by 2020 . The spotlight is somewhere else. And AliBaba needs to be there.